Fritillaria 2009

[Maggi Young]

Chas, it's a frit with an AFFinity to walujewii ......nothing to do with Fritillaria affinis... confusing , ain't it?

"affinis (aff.): with affinity to others, akin to; often used for a provisionally recognized but unnamed taxon considered close to that name, perhaps a hybrid or extreme variant. "
also .... cf. : confer  - latin .... to compare    for closely similar but nontheless different plants 


I see  your "ferganensis" as tortifolia....

[Gerry Webster]

Chas, it's a frit with an AFFinity to walujewii ......nothing to do with Fritillaria affinis... confusing , ain't it?

"affinis (aff.): with affinity to others, akin to; often used for a provisionally recognized but unnamed taxon considered close to that name, perhaps a hybrid or extreme variant. "
also .... cf. : confer  - latin .... to compare    for closely similar but nontheless different plants 


I see  your "ferganensis" as tortifolia....

Chas - I agree with Maggi: F. ferganensis looks like F. tortifolia. I'm unsure about F. walujewii.

[J.B.Wyllie]

Check the picture in Roger Phillips & Martin Rix Bulb Book if you have it.

I have a Lawrence Greenwood painting and it is just like the photo.

Jean

[Gerry Webster]

Check the picture in Roger Phillips & Martin Rix Bulb Book if you have it.

I have a Lawrence Greenwood painting and it is just like the photo.

Jean

Jean - I agree it looks somewhat different to the pic in The Bulb Book, but I also looked in Flora of China, hence my uncertainty. However, I've just looked at Flora of the USSR & the description there seems to indicate that Chas' plant is probably not F. walujewii.

[chasw]

Ah, I looked at ferganensis as Tortifolia,then thought that the bells were not elongated enough,the only reference I have is the leaflet and invoice from when I purchased themfrom PC plants,and walujewii is supposed to be walujewii regel,will see if there are any other pictures on the Frit group web site also,thanks one and all for your help

[Gerry Webster]

Just to add a little to the confusion. The rather poor picture of F. walujewii in The Bulb Book  is apparently from Martyn Rix & was taken in Central Asia, S of Ferghana. Insofar as one can judge from a picture, the appearance of this plant (more exactly, the flower) corresponds, more-or-less,  to the description given in Flora of China. However, it does not correspond to the description  given in Flora of the USSR. It appears that the species has a wide distribution across Asia & is, presumably, variable. I have a vague recollection of debates some years ago as to just what constituted F. walujewii. Although I think that Chasw's plant is probably not this species, I would be very hesitant to pronounce with certainty.

[Lesley Cox]

The picture below shows the typical leaf arrangement of F. affinis. The leaves are arranged in whorls around the stem, not individually or alterately up the stem. I may be wrong of course but while the flowers vary tremendously, this leaf arrangement, so far as I understand, does not. When you dig the bulb, if it IS affinis it will have very many tiny rice-grain bulblets.

[Gerry Webster]

Lesley - Flora of North America confirms your statement that the leaves of F. affinis are whorled on the lower part of the stem & alternate on the upper part. Your pic shows this arrangement very clearly.

[Sinchets]

Thanks Lesley- I think it will be a case of waiting till summer and checking what the bulbs look like. Incidentally I had a sniff today and the flowers just have the same smell F.acmopetala does- yeasty.

[Gerry Webster]

Ah, I looked at ferganensis as Tortifolia,then thought that the bells were not elongated enough,the only reference I have is the leaflet and invoice from when I purchased themfrom PC plants,and walujewii is supposed to be walujewii regel,will see if there are any other pictures on the Frit group web site also,thanks one and all for your help

Chas - Flora of China (vol 24, Fritillaria) is available online:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=113029

[Sinchets]

More frits in the garden today- enjoying 2 solid weeks of sunshine here 
Fritillaria graeca
Fritillaria messanensis

For  Diane- if this helps- the plants I have been growing as F.latakiensis and F.elwesii- of course they may not be true. 

and in the bulb frame F.frankorum (?)

[Sinchets]

Some more frits in the garden.
Fritillaria thunbergii
Fritillaria crassifolia
Fritillaria messanensis
and the troublesome one, at its final colour change- I'm sure now it is just a transvestite Fritillaria montana
 

[Gerry Webster]

and the troublesome one, at its final colour change- I'm sure now it is just a transvestite Fritillaria montana
 

Simon - I agree; it's turned into F. montana. How curious!

[Sinchets]

It's been a very interesting colour change. I am not sure if it is environmental and will to see if is repeated next year.

[Sinchets]

A trio of Fritillaria crassifolia in the garden.